1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to apparatus for illuminating the lights of a travel trailer which is disconnected from a tow vehicle and more particularly to an electrical connection system for selectively electrically connecting a trailer mounted battery in circuit with the lights. A holder is provided on the trailer for stowing the electrical connection system and the trailer mounted pigtail in mating relation.
2. Description of Prior Art and Advantages
Travel trailers, such as those pivotally coupled to a trailer hitch of a draft vehicle or a so-called “5th wheel trailer” which is pivotally coupled to the bed of a pickup truck, regularly include an emergency battery pack, which is activated to automatically electrically actuate a trailer braking system such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,110,507 issued Nov. 12, 1963 and/or U.S. Pat. No. 2,800,204 issued Jul. 23, 1957.
Such travel trailers are frequently equipped with running lights, side lights and over head clearance lights which are typically electrically connected to, and energized by, the electrical system of the tow vehicle. When the trailer is uncoupled from the tow vehicle and abandoned aside a roadway, a typical trailer, although including a battery, includes no lighting system for quickly, easily and safely connecting the trailer light to the trailer mounted battery. Thus, an unlighted and unhitched or abandoned trailer which is parked on the shoulder of a roadway creates a safety obstruction. Accordingly, it is an advantage of the present invention to provide new and novel emergency apparatus for lighting an abandoned trailer by a power source on the trailer typically utilized to actuate the emergency brakes to stop a trailer which is inadvertently disconnected from a tow vehicle.
Various auxiliary power packs and flasher systems have been provided for energizing or flashing the trailer lights, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,017,827 issued Apr. 12, 1977; U.S. Pat. No. 4,368,455 issued Jan. 11, 1983; U.S. Pat. No. 4,395,696 issued Jul. 26, 1983; U.S. Pat. No. 5,602,482 issued Feb. 11, 1997 and International Application published under the PCT, International Publication No. W002/22395A2.
Such systems include large and expensive cases or containers, flasher units, one or two additional batteries, and auxiliary coupling devices which are relatively expensive, cumbersome and problematic to store. Accordingly, it is an advantage of the present invention to provide new and novel apparatus, which incorporates the trailer carried power supply for normally actuating the emergency brakes, for electrically energizing the lights of an abandoned trailer.
The prior art trailers typically include a pigtail connector having an electrical socket which is coupled to a complementally formed male pigtail connector plug on the draft vehicle. The present invention contemplates trailer mounted, auxiliary male connector plug which is formed complementally with, and detachably received by, the socket after the socket has been decoupled from the tow vehicle pigtail plug. The socket will typically include an electrical socket terminal which is independently coupled to the auxiliary trailer mounted battery and braking system as well as a separate second socket terminal independently electrically connected to the trailer lights. The auxiliary male plug, constructed according to the present invention, incorporates electrically independent plug terminals which electrically mate with the socket terminals. The apparatus constructed according to the present invention includes a short circuiting system which selectively electrically connects the plug terminals to each other to complete an electrical circuit from the trailer supported battery through the socket terminals and mating plug terminals and thence to the trailer lights, without the need for an additional auxiliary, power pack, cables, etc.
It is another advantage of the present invention to provide apparatus of the type described including a switch in the short circuiting system which allows the trailer mounted battery to be selectively electrically connected in circuit with the lights.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent of those of ordinary skill and the art as the description thereof proceeds.